Bleakwood Cemetery
Bleakwood, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Pioneers who settled the Bleakwood community after the Civil War established thriving mill and cotton gin businesses. Mill-owner Reuben Bennington donated an acre of land for this cemetery to serve area residents. The oldest marked grave, that of Doulie Lee, is dated Jan. 24, 1871. In 1940 J. K. Wilson gave an additional acre of land to the cemetery in memory of his wife Minnie Lee. Veterans of wars from the Civil War to the Korean War are buried here. The graves are given full care by the Bleakwood Cemetery Association, incorporated in 1975. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Civil War, settlers built up the Bleakwood community around thriving mills and a cotton gin in the East Texas piney woods. Mill-owner Reuben Bennington donated an acre for this cemetery, whose oldest marked grave dates to 1871. Its rows hold veterans of every American war from the Civil War through Korea.
Why it matters
A community cemetery like this preserves the everyday memory of the pioneers, workers, and soldiers who made a rural Southern settlement, generation by generation.
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Related people
- · Reuben Bennington
Themes & tags
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